Subcontract Manager - #2159661

Senior Sub-Contract Buyer

Edinburgh HQ - Four days a week onsite and 1 day remote

March 2027 end date

Up to £43 p/h Inside IR35

We are seeking an experienced Senior Sub-Contract Buyer to join a growing procurement function, supporting complex development programmes within the Defence and Aerospace.

The successful candidate will play a key role in translating early-stage and complex customer requirements into robust commercial agreements, ensuring requirements are effectively flowed down to subcontractors and that supplier commitments align with wider programme objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of subcontracting activities and wider procurement services across complex development programmes.
• Manage and develop relationships with key suppliers, conducting regular reviews and driving supplier performance management.
• Negotiate complex subcontract agreements, including commercial terms, risk/reward mechanisms and business case models.
• Translate customer and project requirements into robust commercial documentation, particularly for the design, development and production of complex electronic systems and subsystems.
• Identify, assess and mitigate commercial and contractual risks associated with subcontract agreements.
• Develop and negotiate contracts covering services, tangible deliverables and intangible deliverables.
• Act as the focal point for project teams and suppliers on subcontracting, contractual and supply chain matters.
• Develop and drive procurement and subcontracting strategies that influence business decisions throughout the project lifecycle.
• Identify and implement solutions to complex commercial risks and opportunities, including subcontract risk, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), liability and foreign exchange exposure.

Essential Requirements

• Demonstrable experience in procurement and subcontract management, ideally within the Defence, Aerospace or a similarly regulated engineering sector.
• Strong experience negotiating complex commercial agreements and managing supplier relationships.
• Good understanding of contractual terms and conditions, risk management and customer-to-supplier contractual flowdown.
• Experience working within complex project environments, supporting multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Strong decision-making capabilities, with the ability to work independently and manage complex assignments with minimal supervision.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced procurement professional with a strong subcontracting background to take on a challenging role supporting technically complex Defence and Aerospace development programmes.